2. Place all of the hazelnuts for the base
and the filling into the oven and toast to a golden brown; use a timer
and have a look after 5 minutes, giving them extra if they need it.

3. Remove the nuts from the hot tray to cool. Set aside 110 gm / 4 oz for the filling.

4. Meanwhile, make the base of the cheesecake
by crushing the biscuits in a polythene bag with a rolling pin – not
too finely, though, as it’s nice to have a fairly uneven texture, then
chop the remaining 50 gm / 2 oz toasted hazelnuts.

5. Tip all the crushed biscuit crumbs into a bowl.

6. Add the chopped nuts and melted butter
and mix everything very thoroughly before packing into the base of the
cake tin, pressing it very firmly all over.

11. Place the chocolate squares in a small,
heatproof bowl, which should be sitting over a saucepan of barely
simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the
water.

12. Keeping the heat at its lowest, allow
the chocolate to melt slowly – it should take about 3 minutes to melt
and become smooth and glossy.

13. Remove from the heat.

14. Spoon the mascarpone and fromage frais
into a large bowl and whisk them together until smooth, preferably with
an electric hand whisk.

15. Add the eggs and sugar and give it
another good whisking before adding the melted chocolate – use a rubber
spatula so that you get every last bit of chocolate from the basin.

16. Lightly fold the chocolate into the egg mixture.

17. Add the raisins and toasted hazelnuts.

18. Pour the mixture into the tin, smoothing it out with the back of a spoon.

19. Place the tin on the centre shelf of the oven and bake for 1¼ hours.

20. Turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake inside until it’s completely cold.

21. Meanwhile,prepare the chocolate curls,melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely
simmering water, make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

22. When the chocolate has melted, pour it on to a flat, smooth surface. It should be about 5 mm / ¼ inch thick.

23. Leave the chocolate to set.

24. Use a cheese slicer to make the
chocolate curls, or a knife will do if you hold the blade in both hands.
Just pull it all along the chocolate towards you and it should curl up.
If it doesn’t curl and you end up with a pile of chocolate shaving
they’ll look just as nice – either way, place them in a rigid plastic
container and then put this in the fridge until you need them.

25. Before serving, sprinkle the surface of the cheesecake with chocolate curls, dust with a sprinkling of cocoa powder.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.